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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · cold · stick · suit · pitch · wax · press · bat

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. suit — in cards
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bat — the animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitch — completely
  7. press — to push
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cold — an illness
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. press — a publisher
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com